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A flaky pie crust topped with cream puff pastry, topped with sweet blueberry and cherry preserves, sprinkled with toasted sliced almonds, and finished with a drizzle of icing. It sounds complicated, but it’s a delicious, easy-to-make Danish.
King Arthur Flour posted on Facebook that their Almond Puff Loaf was their all-time favorite recipe. They described it as a buttery, flaky, tender confection that is incredibly easy to make, yet tastes and looks as though a professionally trained pastry chef labored over it for hours. How could I resist giving it a try.
I decided to change the recipe up a little bit to create a fun 4th of July breakfast or dessert. I used blueberry and cherry preserves instead of apricot jam; vanilla extract instead of almond extract; made the crust in my food processor; and I wanted individual round pastries, so I baked them in my muffin top pans.
If you don’t have muffin top pans, you could bake them on two baking sheets. Just be sure and space them apart to leave room for expansion.
This is a delightful combination of contrasting textures and flavors, a rich but not too sweet pastry that would be a great way to kick off your 4th of July. I can see why it’s a King Arthur favorite. I’ve been snacking on it all day. This may be dangerous for me to have in the house.
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Red, White and Blue Almond Puff Pastries
Ingredients
Bottom Crust Layer
- 1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted cold butter, cut into cubes
- ¼ cup cold water
Puff (Pâte à Choux) Layer
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 3 large eggs room temperature*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract can sub almond extract
Toppings
- ¾ cup jam or preserves I used blueberry and cherry
- ½ cup sliced almonds toasted in a 350°F oven for about 7 to 10 minutes, or until they’re a light, golden brown
Icing
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 – 4 teaspoons milk or water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease muffin top pan cups.
- Bottom Crust Layer
- Combine flour and salt in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add cubed butter and pulse several times until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ¼ cup cold water; pulse a couple of times until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed.
- Turn out onto a work surface; knead once or twice, until dough comes together. Do not overmix.
- Divide in to 12 pieces, about 1 tablespoon of dough, and press into muffin top cups. Wet your fingers, and flatten dough into a circle.
- Puff Layer
- In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the water and butter to a boil. When butter is melted, add the salt and then add the flour all at once. Stir the mixture with a spoon until all the flour is absorbed and a dough forms, this will happen very quickly. Keep stirring to continue cooking the flour another minute or two.
- Transfer the dough to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat it at medium speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just to cool dough down a little.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; beat until the dough loses its “slimy” look, and each egg is totally absorbed.
- Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Spoon the dough into a large gallon-sized plastic bag (or piping bag.) Use your hands to squeeze dough towards the bottom corner. With scissors, snip off the cornerof the bag. Pipe dough on top of crust layer until it completely covers the entire bottom layer of dough. Use wet fingers to smooth it out.
- Bake the pastry for 40 – 45 minutes, or until it’s a deep golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and transfer each pastry to a wire rack.
- Topping
- Spread each warm pastry with 1 tablespoon of jam. (The pastries may start to sink in the middle, which makes it easier to spread the jam. If yours don’t, like mine didn’t, you can puncture the top with a fork to help deflate them a bit.)
- Sprinkle the toasted almonds on top of the jam.
- Icing
- Stir together the sugar, vanilla, and enough milk or water to form a thick but “drizzlable” icing.
- Drizzle the icing over the top of the pastries.
Notes
More 4th of July recipes you might like:
Red, White and Blue Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, Barbara Bakes
4th of July Layered Jell-O, Our Best Bites
Fourth of July Funfetti Cupcakes with Triple Swirl Frosting, Sugarcrafter
Easy Red, White and Blue Fruit Tart, Mountain Mama Cooks
20 GREAT! Patriotic July 4th Dessert Ideas, Family Fresh Cooking
Claire @ Claire K Creations
If it tastes like something a pastry chef has made I’ll have to test them out on my husband. I love the 4th of July twist!
Chaya
This is yummy and looks so good. You are amazing.
Cristina
I love this, Barbara! What a cute way to keep all the rounds shaped in the muffin-top pan too. I’m so making this. 🙂 Thank you for sharing and have a lovely weekend!
Shelby
I am going to have to give this a try! Blueberries, almond, pastry -and even cherries 🙂 Love all of it!
Katherine Martinelli
These are gorgeous!! And so perfect for the 4th of July. I will have to give them a try.
Angie@Angie's Recipes
p.s You may have noticed that my blog didn’t work last three days, now blogger finally fixed the problem and my blog works fine now.
Angie@Angie's Recipes
These puff pastries look delectable! And I love the name red white blue…
Coleens Recipes
This recipe has picky-picky husbands name written ALL over it, I can’t wait to surprise him with it. Thank you for sharing the recipe, it sounds delicious.
mjskit
What a breakfast dish or anytime dish for that matter! These look SO VERY delicious!
Carol
Oh my gosh Barbara- these look CRAZY GOOD……I can’t wait to try these.
Thanks so much! Have a wonderful 4th of July,
Carol
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc
looks amazing! Happy 4th!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust
So pretty!
RecipeNewZ
Wonderful recipe! I especially love your puff pastry – it does sound easy. I made something similar and it was delicious! Now I want to go to the kitchen and try these danishes :-). Thanks for sharing and have a great weekend!
Donna
My Oh My! Pie crust AND puff pastry in one dish! YUM!
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel
That looks absolutely perfect. I can see why you couldn’t pass up making these!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
Mmm I’m totally trying this!
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious
I can’t believe you made your own puff pastry! I’m so bad and always get mine from Target but maybe I’ll tackle this when I have some time. As for these pastries, my goodness! I wish I could have this for breakfast every morning!
Barbara
Thanks – I’d love a pastry every morning too. It’s a cream puff pastry dough on top of a pie crust dough, not a laminated puff pastry dough like the puff pastry sheets Pepperidge Farm makes. This one is much easier.
Aninas Recipes
Even though – at a glance this might look difficult, as I was visualising the recipe, it really does sound easy!! I have to have to have to do more pastries!! Great Recipe!
kelley {mountain mama cooks}
You’re so brave making your own puff pastry. I think I’d opt for the store bought stuff. Can I come to your house for breakfast on the 4th? 🙂
Barbara
It’s an easy, cheater puff pastry. You are always welcome to drop by 🙂
Rosa
What a fabulous treat! So original.
Cheers,
Rosa